Flemish Nationalist Party Releases Inflammatory Ad

Belgian nationalist party Vlaams Belang holds a strict view of immigration and integration into Belgian culture.

Leader of a nationalist Flemish party Filip Dewinter has kicked off an inflammatory anti-Islam campaign featuring the niqab and his bikini-clad daughter.

The Belgian Vlaams Belang party is a reincarnation of a nationalist party ordered to disband for its racist message. Vlaams Belang released the ads featuring Dewinter’s daughter in a niqab and bikini with the words, “Freedom or Islam?”

This ad will likely upset more than just Muslims.

“One interesting thing about something like this is that it will tend to push religious communities closer together because you find this kind of image mixing the sacred and the profane is offensive to other religious groups,” Boston College professor Jonathan Laurence said.

An-Sofie Dewinter answered for the ad, saying she felt wearing the two pieces together illustrated her idea to choose between freedom and Islam.

Liz Leslie is a journalist based in Bloomington, Indiana. As an associate Web producer for WFIU, Liz maintains the Muslim Voices Twitter and Facebook as well as writes for the blog. She also contributes to Earth Eats.More posts by this author »